Abstract
Food cues in the environment may contribute to obesity as the consumption of unhealthy foods may reinforce reward pathways in the brain. To understand how person-level differences in reward sensitivity may be associated with diet quality, this study aimed to examine the moderating role of the availability of fast food in the environment on the relationship between reward sensitivity and diet quality in adolescents. Participants (n = 152; 55% female; Mage: 12.5 ± 0.93 y) completed the drive and reward subscales of the Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS)/Behavioral Activation System (BAS) Scale to assess reward sensitivity and completed two 24 h dietary recalls from which Healthy Eating Index (HEI) scores (total score and subscales of adequacy and moderation) were calculated. Fast-food environment (FFE) was operationalized as the total number of fast-food outlets within 1 km around participants’ home address. Linear regressions were used to examine the main effects and interactions between reward sensitivity and FFE in relation to HEI score. Interactions were found between FFE and BAS drive (p = 0.02) and BAS reward (p < 0.01) on HEI adequacy. There were no interaction effects on HEI moderation or HEI total scores. For individuals who had lower access exposure to fast-food outlets (−1 SD), there was a stronger positive association between higher BAS drive (t = 2.85, p = 0.01, 95% CI (0.35, 1.94)) and HEI adequacy scores and between higher BAS reward (t = 3.27, p > 0.01, 95% CI (0.72, 2.93)) and HEI adequacy scores. By examining reward sensitivity to potential food cues in residential neighborhood food environments, it is possible to understand which adolescents are more sensitive to environmental food cues and implement interventions to buffer these influences.
Highlights
Bivariate correlations showed no main effects of Behavioral Activation System (BAS) subscales or Fast-food environment (FFE) on Healthy Eating Index (HEI) total score
There was no association between BAS reward and FFE
Our results may differ due to the measure of diet used, as while Paquet et al measured self-reports of visiting a fast-food restaurant in the past week, our study focuses on diet quality broadly
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. The World Health Organization defines adolescence as the life period between childhood and adulthood, from ages 10 to 19 [1]. The prevalence of obesity worldwide has increased in children and adolescents (age 5–19) in recent years, from 4% in 1975 to 18%. The prevalence of obesity in the U.S has increased in adolescents in recent years, from 13.9% in 2000 to 18.5% in 2016 [3,4]. One individual difference factor that may increase obesity risk is reward sensitivity
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
More From: International journal of environmental research and public health
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.